You want to achieve something meaningful but have the feeling that you are mostly distracted by other things that come your way. Does this sound familiar?
Most of us feel that we have a higher purpose in life that what we are doing. We want to achieve something special, but have the feeling that we never get there. The other day I had an honest in-depth discussion with a person who is an executive coach. She mainly coaches CEOs and sales executives. Additionally, she also does some pro-bono work coaching unemployed people who cannot afford paying for her services. She coaches her clients to not only become better at their work, but more importantly, to find themselves, their true self. In this process, people become aware of their values, what they stand for, and discover what they should do with their lives. Most of her clients are already good or even excellent in a professional sense, but do not realise this. The problems or issues that they have in their professional context, e.g. with their co-workers and team members are seldom based on lack of business knowledge or experience. The problems or issues are usually related to the person him or herself. When the person is not satisfied with him or herself, i.e. with what kind of a life he or she is living, he or she becomes dissatisfied.
We are all looking for happiness, aren't we? But what do we actually do to achieve happiness? The sad answer is 'not much'. Fact is, that most of us do not even take the time to discover ourselves, not to even mention loving oneself. If we do not love ourselves, know ourselves and know what we value, how can we ever get there - i.e. how can we achieve happiness? Once we have discovered ourselves and what we stand for, it is considerably easier to set our goals. Sadly, however, few of us take the time for all this (to find ourselves and what we stand for, and what we want to achieve). Most people are regularly thinking of doing this, and some even decide to take the step, but few actually stay on the track. We love to 'talk the talk', but most are not willing to 'walk the talk'. Once we face hurdles on the way, we return to our old habits. Instead of progressing, we end up running in the same tracks that we already know, thereby repeating our mistakes. Bluntly put, we are not being honest to ourselves. To get where you want, you need to show perseverance. Even when a storm sweeps you off your feet, you should get up and continue towards the life that you want to live. Stay true to yourself and do what is right for you - be honest.
For inspiration, view this video of a family of ducks that are literally blown off their feet but still continue marching on.
Walk on!
P.S. One source of inspiration for this blog post was Darren Hardy's (of Success Magazine) post on confidence. The idea for the featured video came from his post.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it important to know your own values?
Once you have discovered yourself and what you stand for, it is considerably easier to set your goals. According to an executive coach Paul Viio spoke with, the problems professionals have with co-workers and team members are seldom based on a lack of business knowledge or experience. They usually relate to the person and to dissatisfaction with the life he or she is living.
Why do people fail to stay on track toward their goals?
Many people regularly think about discovering themselves and what they want to achieve, and some take the step, but few stay on track. When they face hurdles, they return to old habits and repeat their mistakes, which the post describes as not being honest with themselves. Reaching the life you want requires perseverance and getting up again even when a storm sweeps you off your feet.
B2B Value Sales Transformation Expert, Keynote Speaker & Corporate Trainer